Gianukakis, DePell are selected Associated Press players of year

Republic junior Zach Gianukakis and Freeman junior Jessie DePell were selected as players of the year on The Associated Press All-State basketball teams, announced Thursday.

Gianukakis, who won the Class B boys honor, led the Tigers to a fifth-place finish at the State B tournament, one year after Republic won the title.

DePell guided the Scotties to a second-place finish at the girls State 1A tournament.

Other area players selected to first teams were: senior Steven Wesley, who led Medical Lake to the boys State 2A championship; senior Briann January, girls State 4A third-place Lewis and Clark; sophomore Angie Bjorklund, girls State 4A sixth-place University; senior Angela Hartill, girls State 2A third-place Riverside; senior Cara Shepherd, girls State B champion Cusick; and senior Holli Holbrook, girls State B eighth-place Garfield-Palouse.

Seniors Jon Brockman of Snohomish and Malia O’Neal of Garfield were named players of the year for all classes.

Brockman, 3A player of the year Martell Webster of Seattle Prep, and 1A player of the year Artem Wallace of Toledo have all been recruited by the University of Washington. Brockman, Webster and Kansas recruit Micah Downs of 4A Juanita were McDonald’s All-Americans.

Local honorable mention selections: Jami Bjorklund, senior, U-Hi, 4A girls; Alex Stiller, senior, Lakeside-Nine Mile Falls, 2A boys; Nikki Nelson, sophomore, Chewelah, 2A girls; Malcolm Soelberg, senior, Freeman, 1A boys; Jordan Harazin, freshman, Colfax, 1A girls; Carlos Durazo, senior, St. Michael’s, B boys; Jake Kragt, senior, Lind-Ritzville, B boys; James Nenema, senior, Cusick, B boys; Karl Richardson, junior, Northwest Christian, B boys; Cameron Stevenson, junior, Lind-Ritzville, B boys; Kim Bluff, senior, Cusick, B girls; Kami Clark, sophomore, Almira/Coulee-Hartline, B girls; and Amanda Grumbach, sophomore, Curlew, B girls.